1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wrapping floral groupings, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a method and apparatus for wrapping a bouquet of botanical items automatically.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Wrapping floral groupings, such as bouquets, is an old art. The wrapping protects the floral grouping, maintains the floral grouping in a relatively high moisture environment, makes the floral grouping more attractive, and protects the person giving or receiving the floral grouping by shielding the person or the person""s clothing from excess moisture, color or pollen transfer, and damage from thorns and the like. However, in the past, the wrapping of floral groupings to form, for example, a bouquet has been done manually. A florist would select or cut a sheet of wrapping material, place the floral grouping with the stems toward one corner, bring the two corners adjacent the stem corner together in an overlapping fashion, and then secure, or not, as desired, the overlapping portions of the sheet of material together.
There are many disadvantages to manually preparing wrapped floral groupings. The manual process is very time consuming, thereby adding expense to the final product. The resulting wrapped floral grouping may vary considerably in aesthetic value, depending upon the skill and experience of the person doing the wrapping. Even experienced wrappers may not wrap the floral grouping with the proper shape and size, so that the floral grouping may not be secure within the wrapping. Additionally, while the main part of the floral grouping may be adequately wrapped and protected, the stem area of the wrapping does not wrap the stems tight enough and may allow the stems to protrude through the stem end of the wrapping which makes the floral presentation unsightly and, again, can injure a person or damage a person""s clothing. Even after a successful or adequate manual wrap, problems arise in attempting to band the wrap or otherwise affix the wrap upon itself. Handling the unbanded or unfastened wrap is awkward and may require two people, one to hold the wrap in place and the other to band or fasten the overlapping corners of the wrap.
There is, therefore, a clear need in the art for a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping floral groupings which provide consistent wrapping of proper shape and size and which can, optionally, prepare a tight wrap of the stem portion of the floral grouping, and/or band or fasten the wrapping, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing floral presentation absent all of the disadvantages resulting from the aforementioned manual wrapping method. The present invention fulfills that need.
The material which comprises the sheet of material S is preferably selected from the group of materials consisting of: man-made organic polymeric films; fibers or fabric (woven or non-woven, synthetic or natural); metallic and non-metallic foils; paper (coated or uncoated, treated or untreated); cellulose (including cellophane); leather; burlap; xe2x80x9cdead foldxe2x80x9d or semi-rigid sheet materials including, but not limited to, xe2x80x9cdead-foldxe2x80x9d plastic sheets, wire laminated flexible sheet material, waxed sheet material, starched or sugared sheet material; and laminates; or combinations thereof. The sheet of material S used with the bouquet wrapping apparatus may employ materials having adhesives or cohesives on both sides of the sheet S, an adhesive on one side and a cohesive on the other side or a cohesive or adhesive on only one side of the sheet S with no adhesive or cohesive on the other side of the sheet S. The sheet S may be a heat sealable material which can be sealed with heat devices. The sheet S may be a weldable film which can be welded with heat or welded sonically or with a vibratory welding means.
xe2x80x9cFloral groupingxe2x80x9d, as used herein, means cut fresh flowers, artificial flowers, a single flower, other fresh and/or artificial plants or other floral materials, and may include other secondary plants and/or ornamentation which add to the aesthetics of the overall floral grouping. The floral grouping has a stem and a bloom end.
The term xe2x80x9cbotanical itemxe2x80x9d, as used herein, means a natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plant, taken singly or in combination. The term xe2x80x9cbotanical itemxe2x80x9d also means any portion or portions of natural or artificial herbaceous or woody plants including stems, leaves, flowers, blossoms, buds, blooms, cones, or roots, taken singly or in combination, or in groupings of such portions such as bouquets or floral groupings.
For convenience, the term xe2x80x9cbouquetxe2x80x9d will be used hereinafter to substitute for the term xe2x80x9cfloral groupingxe2x80x9d. Therefore, when the term xe2x80x9cbouquetxe2x80x9d is used, what is meant is xe2x80x9cfloral groupingxe2x80x9d as defined above.
The term xe2x80x9cbonding materialxe2x80x9d as used herein includes adhesives, preferably pressure sensitive adhesives, or cohesives. Where the bonding material is a cohesive, a compatible cohesive material must be placed on the adjacent surface for bondingly contacting and bondingly engaging with the first-mentioned cohesive material. The term xe2x80x9cbonding materialxe2x80x9d also includes materials which are heat sealable and, in this instance, the adjacent portions of the material must be brought into contact and then heat must be applied, or generated, to effect the seal. The term xe2x80x9cbonding materialxe2x80x9d as used herein also means a heat sealing lacquer which may be applied to the sheet of material and, in this instance, heat also must be applied, or generated, to effect the sealing. The term xe2x80x9cbonding materialxe2x80x9d as used herein means any type of material or thing which can be used to effect the bonding or connecting of the two adjacent portions of the material or sheet of material to effect the connection or bonding described herein. The term xe2x80x9cbonding materialxe2x80x9d also includes labels, bands, ribbons, strings, tape, staples or combinations thereof.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of manually wrapping bouquets, as is done in the prior art, by providing a method and apparatus for automatically wrapping a sheet of material about a bouquet. A sheet of material having spaced apart defined first and second portions is placed against a support member, such as a prepared table top, and the bouquet is positioned on the sheet with the first and second portions of the sheet extending on right and left sides, respectively, of the bouquet. The first sheet portion is then moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet, and the second sheet portion is moved in a path to at least partially encompass the bouquet and to extend over part of the first sheet portion. Such automatic operation insures proper size and shape for the wrapping material and also assures consistency from one bouquet to another.
In another aspect of the invention, the two sheet portions are secured together by a bonding material, or the first and second portions of the sheet of wrapping material can themselves act as a bonding material by application of appropriate heat sealing, sonic welding, vibratory welding, and similar methods. Alternatively, or additionally, the wrapped bouquet may be elastically or nonelastically banded.
In another aspect of the invention, the stem portion of the bouquet is tightly wrapped by a separate wrapping operation.
In yet a further aspect of the invention, a member defining a wrap ring form may be positioned suspended over the sheet of material, and the bouquet inserted in the wrap ring form. The wrapping process is then performed, and the wrap ring form provides a stiff bouquet encompassing structure about which the sheet of material can be wrapped for improved consistency of shape and size of the finished wrapped product. This is due to the ability of the stiff wrap ring form to accommodate the necessary tension forces applied to the sheet by the wrapping machine, especially at the end of the wrap cycle. Such forces might otherwise crush the bouquet.